The Only Source
Notes
Transcript
1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching Conversion
In 1871 the New York Herald sent Henry Stanley to Africa in search of the missionary, David Livingstone, who was long overdue. After unbelievable hardships, the journalist found the explorer in central Africa, where he spent four months with him. Stanley went to Africa a conceited and confirmed atheist, but Livingstone’s influence, gentleness, genuineness, goodness, and zeal won Stanley. Stanley became a Christian, saying, “I was converted by him, although he had not tried to do it.”
Influence can be a powerful thing.
It’s actually hard to comprehend FULLY - all that influences us.
Today - we’re going to jump back into our trek through 2 Kings…
And today we’ll see influence - NO DOUBT - plays a part in our walks of faith.
Let’s get right to the text…
1 In the second year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign.
2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.
3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done.
4 But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
5 And as soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand, he struck down his servants who had struck down the king his father.
6 But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the Lord commanded, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin.”
Not surprising - we hear today of another KING coming into power...
Amaziah - the son of Joash - begins to reign.
NOW - Amaziah’s dad - was Joash - the Joash that was rescued as a baby - and HIDDEN from Athaliah ....
Until he became 7 years old - and at THAT time - he became King.
So AMAZIAH - begins to reign...
And let’s see what the text says about him...
3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done.
We’re told here that Amaziah did what was RIGHT in the eyes of the Lord...
Something we don’t OFTEN HEAR - regarding the Kings of Israel...
BUT - we’re also explicitly told Amaziah DIDN’T do like DAVID - but instead like his own father - JOASH.
AND SO - JOASH - being Amaziah’s father - INFLUENCED Amaziah in how he handled his reign as king.
NOW - let’s keep going to see what impact this had...
Reread - v3
4 But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
Ok - so - do you remember from back in 1 Kings - what the big deal with HIGH PLACES was?
BEFORE the Temple was built - High Places would be used as locations of worship...
2 The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
Solomon himself used High Places before the Temple was built
BUT - Once the temple WAS built ...
The continued USE of High Places was viewed as a DIRECT AFFRONT to Yahweh...
AND the rejection of...
5 But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go,
Let’s look at a timeline....regarding the use of High Places - IN RELATION to the building of the Temple...
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Rejection of High Places
1. Solomon worshiped at high places, since there was no temple (1 Kgs 3:2–4)
2. Solomon gains wisdom from God (1 Kgs 3:5–14)
3. Solomon abandoned high places to worship at the ark of the covenant (1 Kgs 3:15)
4. Solomon built the temple and placed the Ark within it (1 Kgs 5–8)
5. Solomon turns away from wisdom (1 Kgs 11:1–4)
6. Solomon returns to the high places, in defiance of the temple (1 Kgs 11:5–8)
And so WE KNOW - and more importantly - THEY KNEW - that High Places were offensive to God...
And YET - in our text today...
4 But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
Where in the past - Kings of old had REMOVED the high places...
Amaziah DID NOT...
NOW - QUESTION - What did Joash (his dad) do with the High Places when he reigned?
2 And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
3 Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places.
If you remember - JOASH is ALSO known - in scripture - as Jehoash.
And so we see HERE that Amaziah’s dad - Joash - ALSO did what was right in the eyes of the Lord - BUT ALSO did not remove the high places.
SLIDE: Men as Standards: Fallen Standards
Men as Standards
Men as Standards
What happens when we don’t use a CENTRAL SOURCE for all variables? (examples)
What would happen if I used the knowledge of a 5 year old - to build a bridge?
Destruction?
Why?
Because my SOURCE would be lacking -
knowledge…of course
Truth?
Truth about a lot of things
What would happen if I used a Lego Set Instruction Manual as my guide to build a house?
Problems!
What would happen if I used a Easy-Bake Oven to make dinner for a Wedding Reception?
Problems!!
NOW - what did all of these scenarios have in common?
They had a STANDARD that was - LACKING!
When Amaziah LOOKED to his father Joash - AS HIS STANDARD - He was looking at a - -
Fallen Standard!
A standard - LACKING
And that’s the problem - with looking to MANKIND - as a STANDARD.
But why?
Why is this an issue?
I think - Ultimately - the reason it’s an issue is because of the HEART of man...
HOW IMPORTANT is TRUTH - to the life of man??
Truth - in whatever form or fashion?
Ok - What if I don’t KNOW - that hitting my head REALLY hard can kill me?
What if I don’t KNOW - that gravity is A THING!?
So JUST in those 2 questions - COMBINE THEM - and we can see that TRUTH is VITALLY important for us.
OK - so what does the HEART of MAN - think about - TRUTH?
Let’s START HERE - who did Jesus CLAIM to be??
The WAY, the - - TRUTH!
OK - well a PROBLEM with us USING MEN - as our STANDARD...
…is that the HEART of MAN - does not have EYES to SEE TRUTH!
13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Seems strange - but there are 2 kinds of SEEING in this world...
But the eyes of our hearts - by default - CANNOT see TRUTH
Paul says it this way...
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
We sing of this don’t we?
Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord...
How about the Israelites??
The Israelites had been LED by - Samuel - and thus - BY GOD - all of Samuel’s life...
And the people didn’t SEE IT…their HEARTS didn’t SEE IT!
And so Samuel let’s them know - NOT SEEING IT - isn’t anything new...
5 And he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”
6 And Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
7 Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers.
8 When Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them, then your fathers cried out to the Lord and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.
Samuel says - LET ME REMIND you why you’re EVEN HERE today - in this land...
It’s NOT BECAUSE your fathers were strong enough and smart enough…!
Why are you even here? - GOD
v7 said what?
STAND STILL - that I may PLEAD with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that He performed FOR YOU…and FOR YOUR fathers!
They didn’t SEE IT!
BECAUSE - the HEART of man - cannot see God!
Cannot see - TRUTH!
And so - if MY source - doesn’t SEE truth...
If my STANDARD isn’t ALIGNED with TRUTH...
Then WHATEVER I’m doing - the RESULTS will be - VOID of truth.
or at LEAST - LACKING in truth.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
The heart of man will - TRICK man.
it’s deceitful.... it DECEIVES...
9 For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.
3 Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts.
20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
Amaziah - in our text today - he CONSIDERED Joash - his father - the STANDARD he was going to look to in life...
Which - SIDE NOTE - tells us how important parenthood is.
But in doing so - Amaziah was using a - FALLEN STANDARD - in Joash his father.
NOW - Joash - HIMSELF - we can think through the STANDARDS HE used in HIS life...
If you remember - EARLY ON for Joash - he looked to Jehoiada (the priest) as his standard...
AND the bible tells us that Joash PLEASED the Lord - BECAUSE that was true.
Joash had followed a good STANDARD...
BUT EVEN SO - we found that Jehoiada didn’t COMMAND Joash to REMOVE the high places...
And so - POINT IS = REGARDLESS of how WORTHY someone is to BE our STANDARD...
If we’re WISE - we won’t MAKE another MAN our standard!
And Paul speaks to this very thing...
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Paul says - SURE - follow me - BUT ONLY if I’m FOLLOWING Christ!!
SO THAT - when you DO follow me - imitate me - you’re actually FOLLOWING Jesus...
Imitating Jesus!
And so - in this scenario - we NEED TO KNOW Jesus...
If we don’t KNOW...
How Jesus would handle THIS situation or THAT situation...
WHAT Jesus would say regarding that topic
HOW Jesus would respond...
HOW Jesus lived...
Then we’re simply DISPLAYING - OUR OWN VERSION of Jesus - OR - someone else’s version of Jesus.
And what does THAT LEAD TO?
SLIDE: Men as Standards: Fallen Outcomes
Men as Standards
Men as Standards
SLIDE:
When men become our standards, their failings become our failings.
I imagine that this is a NO-Brainer - but - we still fall into living this way at times...
And then STILL SURPRISED when things go badly for us...
Do we see examples of this in scripture?
Of course - We SEE IT in our text TODAY...
Amaziah - it says - Did what was pleasing to the Lord - YET - It says - he followed in his father’s footsteps…Joash.
And so in following THOSE footsteps - he chose to DO SOME THINGS that didn’t line up with what God would have wanted.
Other examples of this in scripture include:
Peter - leading his fellow JEWS BACK INTO building the wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile...
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.
13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
See - Peter KNEW the gospel - in that it TORE down the wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile...
AND he experienced himself the MYSTERY of the gospel in that Gentiles could ALSO benefit from FAITH in Jesus...
15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.
16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
So Peter HERE - describing how GENTILES ALSO received the Holy Spirit by FAITH...
AND SO - Peter had received this revelation that there is no DISTINCTION between Jew and Gentile...
YET - Gal 2:12
12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.
HERE - Peter falls into REBUILDING the DISTINCTION BETWEEN Jew and Gentile!
NOW - what happened - BASED on PETER making that decision?
13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
What happened?
The REST of the JEWS - who had come to EAT WITH the Gentiles - LOOK to PETER...
And see HIM separate himself...
AND THEY FOLLOW SUIT>
Which means - those Jews had made Peter - their STANDARD!!
Peter’s FAILING - became THEIR failing!
PETER had SHARED the Gospel with them…these Jews.
And in the process he became their STANDARD...
EVEN THOUGH - they had believed something CONTRARY to what they were now LIVING OUT in separating from the Gentiles.
26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
How about Jeroboam - and his decision to change the OBJECT of Israel’s worship .. and the location?
26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David.
27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”
28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”
29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.
30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.
Jeroboam SET UP - in a sense - a NEW religious system...
New OBJECTS of worship
A new location to worship
And even NEW authority in the land...
AND - what happened?
The people made Jeroboam THEIR - standard!
30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.
The people - WENT ALONG with it.
They began to WORSHIP - false gods.
Jeroboam’s FAILING - became the people’s FAILING!
In BOTH CASES HERE - the OUTCOME was a FALLEN outcome.
SIN was the result!!
But let’s look at a different account in scripture to see another angle to this...
If we look at the story of the fiery furnace…
- We see a LAW come down from king Nebuchadnezzar… what was it?
4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,
5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.”
OK, - here is the LAW that came down...
It stated that when the MUSIC played, EVERYONE had to bow down to the golden image…
- They had to WORSHIP the golden image.
WELL – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – SERVANTS of God…did what?
- Did they OBEY this UNBIBLICAL command from the Authority that was in place?
- NO
- Why?
- Because GOD was their ultimate authority!
They DID NOT make king Nebuchadnezzar their STANDARD!
They DISOBEYED the king...
OBEYING God....
BUT THEN - took the consequences of disobeying an earthly order.
It would be like a pastor being told by the government to STOP preaching Jesus - that pastor refusing to listen - to KEEP preaching Jesus - but to then accept jail time from the government for preaching Jesus.
AND THAT’s where the POINTS of our SERMON today - need to be UNDERSTOOD...
When I say -
Men as Standards - Leads to Fallen Outcomes...
The FALLENNESS of that outcome - MAY not be an EARTHLY fall.
Meaning -
I can make MAN my standard - and in DOING SO - make a LOT of money...
…Earn a raise
…Receive global recognition
…Be able to HELP people
…BUT the FALL in those cases - would be the dishonoring of God - in DISOBEYING what HE would have me do.
On the FLIP SIDE...
I could OBEY JESUS - like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - and MY REWARD - be a FIERY, PAINFUL death!
…or a LONG prison sentence!
And in THOSE CASES - those would NOT BE - FALLEN OUTCOMES!
Those would be - GOD-HONORING outcomes!
And so - we can’t FILTER this sermon today - thru the lenses of MAN.
SUMMARY
Men as Standards
Fallen Standards
Fallen Outcomes
Amaziah - followed in his father JOASH’s footsteps.
He made his earthly father - his STANDARD...
And in doing so - He himself made mistakes.
I DON’T think it’s a coincidence- that in scripture - The men who found themselves in positions of INFLUENCE...
Saul
David
Solomon
Peter
Even the Apostle Paul
ALL of these men - felt the WEIGHT of SIN...
And it seems God - in His LOVE FOR His people - USED these men - IN THEIR FAILINGS - to REORIENT the hearts of God’s people to LOOK TO GOD - NOT MAN - as their STANDARD!
With each MISTAKE these men made - God - REMINDING His people - to make HIMSELF their standard!!
As you may have heard recently - Pastor Steve Lawson had stepped down from ministry due to a failure.
Much HEARTACHE comes - and yet - we should KNOW - no man is a great standard!
Yes - we MAY follow men - but only as they Follow Christ!
We pray for Mr. Lawson… his family...
And if I could say anything to him - it would be this -
God’s NOT DONE using you.
Let’s pray!